Biden awards Medal of Honor to Korean War Army Ranger Ralph Puckett, 94

President Joe Biden awarded the first Medal of Honor of his presidency to Army Colonel Ralph Puckett Jr., on Friday.

Puckett, 94, was honored with his service in the Korean War. South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended the ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

He and Puckett hugged on stage after Moon spoke about Puckett being awarded the highest US military honor.

Biden said in his remarks that, when being informed of the honor, Puckett  asked ‘why all the fuss’ and asked if medal could be mailed to him.

‘I was going to make a joke about the Post Office but decided not to do that,’ Biden said. ‘I think you deserve a little bit of fuss.’

President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to 94-year-old retired Army colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr., for conspicuous gallantry while serving during the Korean War

President Joe Biden, retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, pose for a photo with first lady Jill Biden and the Puckett family

Colonel Ralph Puckett

The president brought Puckett’s family, Moon and first lady Jill Biden on stage after the medal was bestowed.  

There were a few chuckles and gasps when Biden and Moon knelt down on either side of a seated Puckett for the group photo.

Then first lieutenant Ralph Puckett was wounded in 1950 while leading US and Korean soldiers in the desperate defense of a hill against an overwhelming force of Chinese troops – an early episode in Beijing’s decisive entry into the war.

The White House said this was the first time a foreign leader has taken part in a Medal of Honor ceremony.

Puckett’s Medal of Honor was made possible under the 2020 defense policy bill, which lifted a requirement that such awards be made within five years of the commission of the act of valor for which the individual is being recognized. The five-year limit was waived for Puckett and three other U.S. service members. Puckett’s nomination still had to be approved by the defense secretary and president.

Puckett, 94 and living in Columbus, Georgia, was a first lieutenant and commander of the 8th U.S. Army Ranger Company during those two days in late November 1950 when his unit launched a daytime offensive on Hill 205.

President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett

South Korean President Moon Jae-in hugs Colonel Puckett

President Joe Biden, retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, pose for a photo after Puckett was presented the Medal of Honor

Enemy forces directed mortar, machine gun and small arms fire against Puckett and his men in return. At one point, Puckett intentionally ran across an open area multiple times to draw enemy fire to allow his Rangers to find and destroy enemy positions and seize Hill 205, the White House said.

Puckett was seriously wounded when mortar rounds landed in his foxhole, limiting his mobility. He ordered his men to evacuate and leave him behind, but they refused. While under enemy fire, the Rangers retrieved Puckett from the foxhole and brought him to the bottom of the hill, where he directed operations against the enemy.’

‘First Lieutenant Puckett´s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service,’ the White House said in its announcement.

Puckett later spent about a year in combat in Vietnam as a member of the 101st Airborne Division.

In 1992, he was an inaugural inductee into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.

Puckett lives in Columbus, Georgia, with Jean, his wife of 68 years.